Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg vs. Kris Medlen

The Washington Nationals visit Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals and Kris Medlen for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -140 and Kansas City at +130. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Nationals have a 8-13-4 over/under record and a 14-11-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 56% of the time. The Royals are 13-12-0 against the run line and have a 5-18-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 18-7 record, including 10-3 on the road. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a 4-0 record with an earned run average of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has 40 strikeouts over his 36 innings pitched and he has given up 28 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 1.88. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.48 and they have given up 53 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .202 against the bullpen while being struck out 73 times and walking 20 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.62 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.21. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 175 base hits and 57 earned runs. They have allowed 15 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 69 batters and struck out 222. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.05 and their FIP as a unit is 2.96.

As a team, Washington is batting .235, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .239 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 7.88 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .271 and his on-base percentage is at .385. He has 23 hits this season along with 16 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. He's struck out 19 times and has walked 17 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .353. He has totaled 29 hits so far while scoring 12 runs and he's driven in 8. He has walked 10 times and has struck out 12 times. The Nationals have 197 hits, including 39 doubles and 29 home runs. They've stolen 13 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 5 times. Washington has walked 83 times this season and they've struck out 205 times as a unit. They've left 165 men on base and have a team OPS of .699. They score 4.04 runs per contest and have scored a total of 101 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 8-4 home record and a 13-12 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.87, Kris Medlen has a 1-2 record and a 1.67 WHIP. He has 16 strikeouts over the 20.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 18 hits. He has allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.33 and they have given up 63 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 82 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 7.76 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.55 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.39. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 187 base knocks and 81 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 22 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 100 hitters and struck out 207. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.00.

As a team, they are batting .250, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Royals hold a .383 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.36 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .337 and he has an OBP of .388. He has 32 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 9 RBI. He's struck out 16 times and has walked on 8 occasions. Mike Moustakas is hitting .258 and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 24 hits so far while he's scored 11 runs and drove in 11. He has earned a walk 8 times and has punched out 10 times. The Royals as a unit have 209 base hits, including 40 doubles and 21 homers. They have 20 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 62 times this year and they have struck out 173 times. They've had 174 men left on base and have an OPS of .688. They score 3.24 runs per game and have totaled 81 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 8-13-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 14-11-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 5-18-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 13-12-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
04/07/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Kansas City Royals

05/03/16 3B Mike Moustakas Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Tuesday vs. Washington Nationals
04/10/16 P Mike Minor Shoulder 60-day DL (3/15)
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow 60-day DL (3/15)

Guy's Pick: Take the Nationals

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